Avoid Chetumal Trap. San Pedro 馬馬虎虎

12/23 - 12/26/2003

 This trip I was "stuck" in Chetumal for multiple days without real reason or need. The idea was to ferry into and out of Belize for a Reef diving trip to San Pedro. This idea is without merit and will waste your time. 

Unfortunately, the city of Chetumal functions as a "Trap" to keep tourists in without great ways in or out of the city itself. Don't stay here. Fly instead directly into Belize City. Your ticket might cost more -- but you will appreciate the time and money saved.

This is especially true prior and following Christmas.

12/22 - stayed with the nice family in a Chetumal borderline ghetto area (their house was ok, nothing special). Chetumal has many Taxis. However don't let them charge you more than 25 pesos per ride. They often ask for twice that or more.

12/23 - attempted to Ferry out at 10AM. No tickets (must book in advance). Waited until 1530 Ferry with another operator to get out. Well after dark before I was in San Pedro. 2 hr ferry - uneventful. While waiting the several hours, I walked around the Marina area of Chetumal -- lackluster & uninspiring.

Uneventful ferry ride to San Pedro once all of the preliminaries (Customs, Immigration, etc) were attended to. Way to much down time vs. the transit time of 2 hrs. More overhead time than transit time.

San Pedro is "sleepy" and impoverished. Walked around, and ate at the Carumba restaurant -- pricey, see below

Checked into the Sun & Reef Hotel in downtown San Pedro. A bit noisy, but was clean. A fellow traveler also stayed there.

12/24 - In the morning awoke early and hitched a cart ride to the North of Ambergris Caye. 

Locals were exceptionally friendly and I received 2 rides. One of the rides turned out to be a relative of someone working at the dive shop! Dove with Chino after a refresher course. White Sands is Recommended if you make it to this part of the island. (6 mi North of San Pedro.)

Dove Mexico Rocks and Outer Reef.

Outer Reef memorable due to depth obtained>

12/25 - Awoke early, dove with "Ambergris Divers" who were adequate. 

Bring your own water. They were low on water and amenities. Enjoyed the brief snorkel towards the end. No need really for scuba in the Hol Chan area -- quite shallow.

I found a Kayak rental for $20USD for 3 hours. Kayaked to the reef and enjoyed the snorkel. Good, not great.

12/26- Awoke Early to leave the island. Arrived Chetumal Bus Station (ADO) at 1220PM after showing up for the ferry at 7AM this morning. Woefully inefficient (5:30 for a 2:00 transit). 

As I type, I must wait for the 1630PM bus out of Chetumal despite arriving 1220PM to this station. No busses to Cancun on Boxing Day despite hourly departures. 1 hour to wait in the ticket line. 

No access to online booking for ADO. Hours delay. 

Won't make Cancun until 12/27 1:00am if lucky. 7 hrs on the bus. 

Where to eat? -- there is a Subway in the Chetumal station -- $10USD for a footlong + bottled water. Hopelessly overpriced. Stuck in station with other stranded, straggling passengers.

12/27 Midday flight via United to SFO. 6 hr flight. Given the 1AM arrival, then taxi to hotel, I will be fortunate to have 7 hrs sleep to awake and restart the bag-drag.

Factors which make Chetumal untenable as a Belize transit point.

• Mexico Tourist Tax. They tax you out and they tax you in. Twice in my case.
• $39 via United Ticket inbound to Cancun.
• $47 via San Pedro Ferry, charged in Chetumal
• Long waits to enter and exit Belize (see Few Ferries below)
• Belize departure tax of $20 USD.
• Few Ferries, long delays, very inefficient transit, always full.
• Ferry is $80/way 1400-1500 pesos.
• 2 hrs from Chetumal -> San Pedro is manageable, but double or triple this time with customs, immigration and tremendous overhead. It is these factors which lead the operator to request passengers to arrive 2 hrs before departure. 
• Should a ferry be as complex as an international flight?
• By the time you make it into San Pedro, you will be confronted by very high prices, 2X US prices due to the island-tax of goods/services/everything. I had seafood for $130USD/person in one case with tip compounding this amount further.
• Easy to get BZD - don't overdo it. You can withdraw from your credit card with a $1.50 USD fee.
• MXD also easy to obtain. 17 MXD/USD

Ambergris Caye -- San Pedro, Belize by way of Chetumal & Cancun (CUN)

How to reach San Pedro, Belize via Chetumal (Mexico) ferry if you fly into Cancun (CUN). 

1) Fly into Cancun (CUN), take the 7hr Ado Bus directly from Cancun airport to Chetumal station.

2) Stay the night in Chetumal, but book ferry well in advance. Seats sell out

3) Taxi to Chetumal Ferry terminal the next morning. Not much in the Chetumal area.

4) There are 2 ferries from Chetumal -> San Pedro, 10AM and 1530PM. Arrive 830AM for 10AM departure.

Cost: (double for return)

1400-1500 Mexican Pesos

You must repay your 700 Mexican tourist fee if you leave Mexico and re-enter.

References from "On Anarchism" - Chomsky

 Chomsky's "On Anarchism" is a short read that combines some material from talks and excerpts.

1. Notes on Anarchism

2. Excerpts from Understanding Power

3. Part II of "Objectivity and Liberal Scholarship"

4. An interview

5. A talk or tract entitled "Language and Freedom"

My favorite parts were 1 and 5 and the extensive references, some from Chomsky himself

References from this work:

American power and the new Mandarins

Cartesian Linguistics

Language and Mind

At War with Asia

Marx-Das Kapital

Rosa Luxemburg - The Russian Revolution

William Hinton - Fanshen 1966

The Spanish Civil War - Daniel Guerin

... and many more not listed.

Sunday Westlake Hanoi - 1 Lap around, not recommended for Solo Time trial cyclist

 1 Lap around West Lake Hanoi, starting and ending around the Sheraton Hanoi Westlake -- this circuit is full of cars, scooters, people, commerce and many other things (dogs!, crushed rats, etc). I rode it on 23mm tyres, solo time trial style, amidst the traffic and consternation. It was an educational experience, but I learned that this circuit is:

A) Not for the faint of heart

B) Really not practical, although I saw many effective joggers making their way using the various off-road areas. 

Overall, the area is over-used on the weekend by visitors and locals alike and just too narrow to be "safe". However, I did find a good bicycle shop to rent an Argon 18 for 100,000 VND/day ~ $4.00. The Argon had a number of issues, so I worked with the proprietor to install a better chain, trued front/rear brakes about the skinny Bontrager wheels and generally worked on it for the better part of 1.5 hours on and off.

Traffic has a certain flow -- good not to go against the flow, although if to you go too much with the flow that is also bad -- you can be caught out in a traffic eddy with few places to safely go. Use hand signals and expect some chaos. The weather today was clear in the morning, cloudy/smoggy in the late morning and now it is around Noon. I will seek a good place for food and go again in the afternoon. I have a lock, helmet, flat kit but no safety lights. Need to find a good shop to purchase these.

KWVI Watsonville Cessna Crashes: August 18th 2022 ~1455PM Local. Runway 20 Incident.

There was a fatal midair collision in KWVI Watsonville on August 18th, 2022 at about 2154Z.

What appeared to have happened is that a slower C152 training aircraft in the pattern was overtaken and struck from behind by a very fast twin engine Cessna -- both aircraft on Final Approach for runway 20. The apparent cause of the collision (my speculation only at this early stage) is that N740WJ failed to see and avoid the C152 in the pattern while on Final, and ploughed straight in, at an unacceptable approach speed. (180-190 knots). The acceptable approach speed for the aircraft was half of that speed. Besides being a reckless maneuver in its own right, this put all other approaching and established WVI traffic at great risk. Unfortunately, among the many aircraft in the pattern that day, N49931 happened to be in the way of the wayward twin engine Cessna.

The two aircraft involved in the mid-air collision: 

• Dual Prop, Low Wing Cessna 340A (with 2 300HP Continental Engines & 240 knot Vne) 
• N740WJ - Owned by ALM Holding of Winton CA
• Engines: 2 - TSIO-520-NB Continental
• 75 year old Carl Kruppa, requiring corrective eyewear - 3rd class medical (typical for non-commercial pilots) and wife.
• Relatively inexperienced, non-commercial Pilot. Licensed since November 28th of 2018 - less than 4 years of flight experience. Single + Multiengine ratings.

• Single Prop Trainer Cessna 152 N49931 (with 1 Lycoming O-235 Engine 149 knot Vne) N49931
• Engine: 1 - O-235 Engine at 100HP-135HP (exact Config. unknown by me) 
• Owned by Monterey Bay Aviation - dba "United" based on the field.
• Newly minted pilot, 32 year old Stuart Michael Camenson. VFR only, licensed since 2020 July 9th.

My own interpretation of the Accident Chronology heard via Live ATC.net

https://archive.liveatc.net/kwvi/KWVI2-Aug-18-2022-2130Z.mp3

Situation:

N49931 - A high wing Cessna flying slowly as one may often expect in a closed pattern around an un-towered airport is practicing. A low wing "fast" Cessna N740WJ comes blazing in at 180-190Knots.

As early as I can gather from the CTAF recordings, Cessna N49931 was in the pattern and at one point established behind Cessna 5347H doing Left Closed Traffic for Rnwy 20. A Mooney -70R entered the pattern downwind and the 5347H landed at Monterey and taxied to "United". The Mooney successfully landed and a few other aircraft including -90FL & -22H were in the pattern with N49931. Seemingly out of no-where a twin engined Cessna -WJ called  at 10, 3 and 1 miles from the airport. From the 10 and 3 mile call, I calculate that -WJ was flying at 210 miles per hour. (7 miles / 120 sec. * 3600 sec/hr). From the 3 mile call and the 1 mile call, only 37 or so seconds apart, I calculate that WJ was flying at OVER 190 mi/hr very close to the airport. 

Contrast the twin-engine Cessna's speed with what a Cessna 152 training aircraft could muster. I estimate that the C152 was flying at 60 - 80 knots in the pattern - 1/3rd of the inbound Cessnas speed!

What is tragic is that this situation could have been avoided -- however, it took a reckless inbound aircraft and a lack of visibility/awareness on the in-pattern aircraft to permit such a crash.  The Cessna 340a could have hit other aircraft, but the timing of the C152, being on left base and later final, unfortunately coincided with the 340a straight in attempt -- tragic and fatal to all involved.

My Take-Aways:

• Don't assume that any aircraft, especially near Final Approach, hears and complies with your calls on the radio -- don't trust. Verify.
• Don't fly straight in approaches ever. Or at unless you are 110% confident that you are the only traffic for 100+ Nautical miles.
• A go-around *may put you into an intersecting course with inbound overlapping aircraft. Stay the course and avoid over-correction. At the same time, get a visual on any problematic aircraft and get away from them. High Wing vs. Low Wing visibility issues need to be considered and mitigated as much as possible. (340a, a Low Wing wouldn't have easily seen an aircraft that was climbing into it from below -- as the case would have been if Stuart was executing a Go-Around and climbing out at full power)
• Train, Train, Train.

Mr. Juan Brown with his interpretation. See the Many comments from the Aviation community and others concerned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ZcdyuSvGA&ab_channel=blancolirio

Correction: Hercules 1940s era street bicycle. Prepping to Restore. "Safety Model".

[Correction to this post -- I had previously mentioned "Raleigh" but this is another Birmingham maker: "Hercules"!]

• Front/Rear Tyre Spec: 37-590 26 x 1-3/8 Inches
• Tube: 26" x 1.50, 1.75, or even large may fit.
• Tyre Link: https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/590.html
• 590mm ISO, 26"x1-3/8"
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AYMK5S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
• Chain: 105 Link Pins counted. Replaced with Single Speed Chain.
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089WXYHW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Preparing to remove wheels and replace the tyres.

Eye catching elements:

• Brazed Steel Tube into Lug fittings
• Brooks Saddle
• Center Stand!
• License plate from the '70s
• Rod Brakes - brake upwards into the rim from below!
• Sturmey Archer 3 Speed Rear Hub. GB PAT 498820 649009
• Includes rear tyre driven light generator and light. 
• Includes pump!
• Child "Companion Saddle" on top tube for a little tyke to join safely. Emphasis on little.

 

Canyon CF SL 8.0 Black Ride Review (DE - Rim Brake version)

Ever since a friend recommended Canyon for their fancy "Aero-Road" model, I have had my eye on them. Last year I received a Medium "Smurf Blau" SL 8 that I subsequently returned -- it was a bit small on my 5ft 11in frame for general purpose riding. For racing, I think that Medium may have worked -- but I am so far happier with the Black German Canyon CF SL8 that I have now received after weeks in transit.

Due to the slow reception at LAX Customs, USPS not being "aware" of where the bike was for weeks and general mayhem that follows trying to ship anything these days, I have but 1-2 days more to elect to return the bicycle -- I don't think that I will after today's ride.

Mass as tested with pedals, 1 bottle holder, seat-post etc. No saddle bag or air pump.

7.395 KG

Previous Specialized Allez Elite with C24 Dura-Ace Front & Rear + Saddle Bag and Air Pump & 2 Bottle Holders

9.385KG

So that is a net savings of approaching 1.5KG if I discount the extras still on my original ride.

I expect for the Canyon to be slightly more "Aero" given the cable routing and unified "Flight Deck" Handlebars. Width of my setup is 410mm.

Handlebar "Hood to Hood" distance is 440mm vs. 480mm - a comfortable transition so far.

Between DHL, Lufthansa, the USPS and LA Customs and the final "last mile" USPS carrier abuse, the bike came with a bent skewer. I was able to somewhat straighten this and center the front brake.

Also abused was the stack which had been completely pushed out of alighment. A unscrew, adjust and rescrew of the stack so far has worked. No CF damage seen and the bike is otherwise in decent shape.

For some reason, Canyon doesn't offer the CF SL 8.0 in Black to the US Market directly. My 1 month escapade in shipping was a direct result of this strange policy. Does German Canyon believe that all Americans desire "Smurf" colored racing bicycles? Perhaps the Teutonic Black color is reserved for in-region only. Regardless, I plan to test this out over the next 1-2 days before making a final call. The decision will likely be ""retain" for the Black Canyon CF SL 8.

Video of How to Assemble:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8qxzNxx-qY&ab_channel=CanyonBicycles